Juz 25

In Him alone is vested the knowledge of when the Last Hour will come. And no fruit bursts forth from its calyx, and no female ever conceives, nor ever gives birth, save with His knowledge. And so, on the Day when He shall call out to them, “Where, now, are those [alleged] partners of Mine?” - they will [surely] answer, “We confess unto Thee that none of us can bear witness [to anyone’s having a share in Thy divinity]!”

And so, all that they were wont to invoke aforetime will have forsaken them; and they shall know for certain that there is no escape for them.

MAN NEVER TIRES of asking for the good [things of life]; and if evil fortune touches him, he abandons all hope, giving himself up to despair.

Yet whenever We let him taste some of Our grace after hardship has visited him, he is sure to say, “This is but my due!” - and, “I do not think that the Last Hour will ever come: but if [it should come, and] I should indeed be brought back unto my Sus­tainer, then, behold, the ultimate good awaits me with Him! But [on the Day of Judgment] We shall most cer­tainly give those who were bent on denying the truth full understanding of all that they ever did, and shall most certainly give them [thereby] a taste of suffering severe.

And, too, when We bestow Our blessings upon man, he tends to turn aside and keep aloof [from remembering Us]; but as soon as evil fortune touches him, he is full of wordy prayers!

HAVE YOU given thought [to how you will fare] if this be truly [a revelation] from God, the while you deny its truth? Who could be more astray than one who places himself [so] deeply in the wrong?

In time We shall make them fully understand Our messages [through what they perceive] in the utmost horizons [of the universe] and within them­selves, so that it will become clear unto them that this [revelation] is indeed the truth. [Still,] is it not enough [for them to know] that thy Sustainer is witness unto everything?

Oh, verily, they are in doubt as to whether they will meet their Sustainer [on Judgment Day]! Oh, verily, He encompasses everything!

Ha. Mim.

Ayn. Sin. Qaf.

THUS has God, the Almighty, the Wise, revealed [the truth] unto thee, [O Muhammad,] and unto those who preceded thee:

His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth; and most exalted, tremendous is He.

The uppermost heavens are well-nigh rent asunder [for awe of Him]; and the angels extol their Sustainer’s limitless glory and praise, and ask for­giveness for all who are on earth. Oh, verily, God alone is truly-forgiving, a dispenser of grace!

NOW AS FOR those who take aught beside Him for their protectors - God watches them, and thou art not responsible for their conduct.

[Thou art but entrusted with Our message:] and so We have revealed unto thee a discourse in the Arabic tongue in order that thou mayest warn the foremost of all cities and all who dwell around it to wit, warn [them] of the Day of the Gathering, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt: [the Day when] some shall find themselves in paradise, and some in the blazing flame.

Now had God so willed, He could surely have made them all one single community: none the less, He admits unto His grace him that wills [to be admitted] whereas the evildoers shall have none to protect them and none to succour them [on Judgment Day].

Did they, perchance, [think that they could] choose protectors other than Him? But God alone is the Protector [of all that exists], since it is He alone who brings the dead to life, and He alone who has the power to will anything.

AND ON WHATEVER you may differ, [O believers,] the verdict thereon rests with God. [Say, therefore:] “Such is God, my Sustainer: in Him have I placed my trust, and unto Him do I always turn!”

The Originator [is He] of the heavens and the earth. He has given you mates of your own kind just as [He has willed that] among the beasts [there be] mates - to multiply you thereby: [but] there is nothing like unto Him, and He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.

His are the keys of the heavens and the earth: He grants abundant sustenance, or gives it in scant measure, unto whomever He wills: for, behold, He has full knowledge of everything.

In matters of faith, He has ordained for you that which He had enjoined upon Noah - and into which We gave thee [O Muhammad] insight through revelation as well as that which We had enjoined upon Abraham, and Moses, and Jesus: Steadfastly uphold the [true] faith, and do not break up your unity therein. [And even though] that [unity of faith] to which thou callest them appears oppressive to those who are wont to ascribe to other beings or forces a share in His divinity, God draws unto Himself everyone who is willing, and guides unto Himself everyone who turns unto Him.

And [as for the followers of earlier revelation,] they broke up their unity, out of mutual jealousy, only after they had come to know [the truth]. And had it not been for a decree that had already gone forth from thy Sustainer, [postponing all decision] until a term set [by Him], all would indeed have been decided between them [from the outset]. As it is, behold, they who have inherited their divine writ from those who preceded them are [now] in grave doubt, amounting to suspicion, about what it por­tends.

Because of this, then, summon [all mankind], and pursue the right course, as thou hast been bidden [by God]; and do not follow their likes and dislikes, but say: “I believe in whatever revelation God has be­stowed from on high; and I am bidden to bring about equity in your mutual views. God is our Sustainer as well as your Sustainer. To us shall be accounted our deeds, and to you, your deeds. Let there be no contention between us and you: God will bring us all together - for with Him is all journeys’ end.”

And as for those who would [still] argue about God after He has been acknowledged [by them] all their arguments are null and void in their Sustainer’s sight, and upon them will fall [His] condemnation, and for them is suffering severe in store:

[for] it is God [Himself] who has bestowed revelation from on high, setting forth the truth, and [thus given man] a balance [wherewith to weigh right and wrong]. And for all thou knowest, the Last Hour may well be near!

Those who do not believe in it [mockingly] ask for its speedy advent whereas those who have attained to faith stand in awe of it, and know it to be the truth. Oh, verily, they who call the Last Hour in question have indeed gone far astray!

GOD is most kind unto His creatures: He provides sustenance for whomever He wills - for He alone is powerful, almighty!

To him who desires a harvest in the life to come, We shall grant an increase in his harvest; whereas to him who desires [but] a harvest in this world, We [may] give something thereof - but he will have no share in [the blessings of] the life to come.

Is it that they [who care for no more than this world] believe in forces supposed to have a share in God’s divinity, which enjoin upon them as a moral law something that God has never allowed? Now were it not for [God’s] decree on the final judgment, all would indeed have been decided be­tween them [in this world]: but, verily, grievous suffering awaits the evildoers [in the life to come].

[In that life to come,] thou wilt see the evil­doers full of fear at [the thought of] what they have earned: for [now] it is bound to fall back upon them. And in the flowering meadows of the gardens [of paradise thou wilt see] those who have attained to faith and done righteous deeds: all that they might desire shall they have with their Sustainer: [and] this, this is the great bounty –

that [bounty] whereof God gives the glad tiding to such of His servants as attain to faith and do righteous deeds. Say [O Prophet]: “No reward do I ask of you for this [message] other than [that you should] love your fellow-men.” For, if anyone gains [the merit of] a good deed, We shall grant him through it an increase of good: and, verily, God is much-forgiving, ever responsive to gratitude.

DO THEY, perchance, say, “[Muhammad] has attri­buted his own lying inventions to God”? But then, had God so willed, He could have sealed thy heart [forever]: for God blots out all falsehood, and by His words proves the truth to be true. Verily, He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts [of men];

and it is He who accepts repen­tance from His servants, and pardons bad deeds, and knows all that you do,

and responds unto all who attain to faith and do righteous deeds; and [it is He who, in the life to come,] will give them, out of His bounty, far more [than they will have deserved], whereas for the deniers of the truth there is [but] suffering severe in store.

For, if God were to grant [in this world] abundant sustenance to [all of] His servants, they would behave on earth with wanton insolence: but as it is, He bestows [His grace] from on high in due measure, as He wills: for, verily, He is fully aware of [the needs of] His creatures, and sees them all.

And it is He who sends down rain after [men] have lost all hope, and unfolds His grace [thereby]: for He alone is [their] Protector, the One to whom all praise is due.

And among His signs is the [very] creation of the heavens and the earth, and of all the living creatures which He has caused to multiply throughout them: and [since He has created them,] He has [also] the power to gather them [unto Him­self] whenever He wills.

Now whatever calamity may befall you [on Judgment Day] will be an outcome of what your own hands have wrought, although He pardons much;

and you cannot elude Him on earth, and you will have none to protect you from God [in the life to come], and none to bring you succour.

And among His signs are the ships that sail like [floating] mountains through the seas:

if He so wills, He stills the wind, and then they lie motion­less on the sea’s surface - [and] herein, behold, there are messages indeed for all who are wholly patient in adversity and deeply grateful [to God];

or else He may cause them to perish because of what they have wrought; and [withal,] He pardons much.

And let them know, those who call Our mes­sages in question, that for them there is no escape.

AND [remember that] whatever you are given [now] is but for the [passing] enjoyment of life in this world - whereas that which is with God is far better and more enduring. [It shall be given] to all who attain to faith and in their Sustainer place their trust;

and who shun the more heinous sins and abominations; and who, whenever they are moved to anger, readily forgive;

and who respond to [the call of] their Sustainer and are constant in prayer; and whose rule [in all matters of common concern] is consultation among themselves; and who spend on others out of what We provide for them as sustenance;

and who, whenever tyranny afflicts them, defend themselves.

But [remember that an attempt at] requiting evil may, too, become an evil: hence, whoever par­dons [his foe] and makes peace, his reward rests with God - for, verily, He does not love evildoers.

Yet indeed, as for any who defend themselves after having been wronged - no blame whatever attaches to them:

blame attaches but to those who oppress [other] people and behave outrageously on earth, offending against all right: for them there is grievous suffering in store!

But withal, if one is patient in adversity and forgives - this, behold, is indeed something to set one’s heart upon!

AND [thus it is:] he whom God lets go astray has henceforth no protector whatever: and so thou wilt see such evildoers [on Judgment Day, and wilt hear how] they exclaim as soon as they behold the suffering [that awaits them], “Is there any way of return?”

And thou wilt see them exposed to that [doom], humbling themselves in abasement, looking [around] with a furtive glance - the while those who had attained to faith will say, “Verily, lost on [this] Day of Resurrection are they who have squandered their own and their followers’ selves!” Oh, verily, the evildoers will fall into long-lasting suffering,

and will have no protector whatever to succour them against God: for he whom God lets go astray shall find no way [of escape].

[Hence, O men,] respond to your Sustainer before there comes, at God’s behest, a Day on which there will be no turning back: [for] on that Day you will have no place of refuge, and neither will you be able to deny aught [of the wrong that you have done].

BUT IF they turn away [from thee, O Prophet, know that] We have not sent thee to be their keeper: thou art not bound to do more than deliver the message [entrusted to thee]. And, behold, [such as turn away from Our mes­sages are but impelled by the weakness and incon­stancy of human nature: thus,] when We give man a taste of Our grace, he is prone to exult in it; but if misfortune befalls [any of] them in result of what their own hands have sent forth, then, behold, man shows how bereft he is of all gratitude!

God’s alone is the dominion over the heavens and the earth. He creates whatever He wills: He bestows the gift of female offspring on whomever He wills, and the gift of male offspring on whomever He wills;

or He gives both male and female [to whomever He wills], and causes to be barren whomever He wills: for, verily, He is all-knowing, infinite in His power.

And it is not given to mortal man that God should speak unto him otherwise than through sudden inspiration, or [by a voice, as it were,] from behind a veil, or by sending an apostle to reveal, by His leave, whatever He wills [to reveal]: for, verily, He is exalted, wise.

And thus, too, [O Muhammad,] have We revealed unto thee a life-giving message, [coming] at Our behest. [Ere this message came unto thee,] thou didst not know what revelation is, nor what faith [implies]: but [now] We have caused this [message] to be a light, whereby We guide whom We will of Our ser­vants: and, verily, [on the strength thereof] thou, too, shalt guide [men] onto the straight way –

the way that leads to God, to whom all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth belongs. Oh, verily, with God is the beginning and the end of all things!

Ha. Mim.

CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth:

behold, We have caused it to be a discourse in the Arabic tongue, so that you might encompass it with your reason.

And, verily, [originating as it does] in the source, with Us, of all revelation, it is indeed sublime, full of wisdom.

[O YOU who deny the truth!] Should We, perchance, withdraw this reminder from you altogether, seeing that you are people bent on wasting your own selves?

And how many a prophet did We send to people of olden times!

But never yet came a prophet to them without their deriding him –

and so, [in the end,] We destroyed them [even though they were] of greater might than these: and the [very] image of those people of old became a thing of the past.

Yet thus it is [with most people]: if thou ask them, “Who is it that has created the heavens and the earth?” - they will surely answer, “The Almighty, the All-Knowing has created them.”

He it is who has made the earth a cradle for you, and has provided for you ways [of livelihood] thereon, so that you might follow the right path.

And He it is who sends down, again and again, waters from the sky in due measure: and [as] We raise therewith dead land to life, even thus will you be brought forth [from the dead].

And He it is who has created all opposites. And He [it is who] has provided for you all those ships and animals whereon you ride,

in order that you might gain mastery over them, and that, whenever you have mastered them, you might remember your Sustainer’s blessings and say: “Limitless in His glory is He who has made [all] this subservient to our use - since [but for Him,] we would not have been able to attain to it.

Hence, verily, it is unto Him that we must always turn.”

AND YET, they attribute to Him offspring from among some of the beings created by Him! Verily, most obviously bereft of all gratitude is man!

Or [do you think], perchance, that out of all His creation He has chosen for Himself daughters, and favoured you with sons?

For [thus it is:] if any of them is given the glad tiding of [the birth of] what he so readily attributes to the Most Gracious, his face darkens, and he is filled with suppressed anger:

“What! [Am I to have a daughter -] one who is to be reared [only] for the sake of ornament?” and thereupon he finds himself torn by a vague inner conflict.

And [yet] they claim that the angels - who in themselves are but beings created by the Most Gracious - are females: [but] did they witness their creation? This false claim of theirs will be recorded, and they will be called to account [for it on Judgment Day]!

Yet they say, “Had [not] the Most Gracious so willed, we would never have worshipped them!” [But] they cannot have any knowledge of [His having willed] such a thing: they do nothing but guess.

Or have We, perchance, vouchsafed them, before this one, a revelation [to the contrary,] to which they are still holding fast?

Nay, but they say, “Behold, We found our forefathers agreed on what to believe - and, verily, it is in their footsteps that we find our guidance!”

And thus it is: whenever We sent, before thy time, a warner to any community, those of its people who had lost themselves entirely in the pursuit of pleasures would always say, “Behold, we found our forefathers agreed on what to believe - and, verily, it is but in their footsteps that we follow!”

[Whereupon each prophet] would say, “Why, even though I bring you guidance better than that which you found your forefathers believing in?” - [to which] the others would reply, “Behold, we deny that there is any truth in [what you claim to be] your messages!”

And so We inflicted Our retribution on them: and behold what happened in the end to those who gave the lie to the truth!

AND WHEN Abraham spoke to his father and his people, [he had this very truth in mind:] “Verily, far be it from me to worship what you worship!

None [do I worship] but Him who has brought me into being: and, behold, it is He who will guide me!”

And he uttered this as a word destined to endure among those who would come after him, so that they might [always] return [to it].

Now [as for those who did come after him,] I allowed them - as [I had allowed] their forebears - to enjoy their lives freely until the truth should come unto them through an apostle who would make all things clear:

but now that the truth has come to them, they say, “All this is mere spellbinding eloquence” - and, behold, we deny that there is any truth in it!”

And they say, too, “Why was not this Qur’an bestowed from on high on some great man of the two cities?”

But is it they who distribute thy Sustainer’s grace? [Nay, as] it is We who distribute their means of livelihood among them in the life of this world, and raise some of them by degrees above others, to the end that they might avail themselves of one another’s help - [so, too, it is We who bestow gifts of the spirit upon whomever We will]: and this thy Sustainer’s grace is better than all [the worldly wealth] that they may amass.

And were it not that [with the prospect of boundless riches before them] all people would become one [evil] community, We might indeed have provided for those who [now] deny the Most Gracious roofs of silver for their houses, and [silver] stairways whereon to ascend,

and [silver] doors for their houses, and [silver] couches whereon to recline,

and gold [beyond count]. Yet all this would have been nothing but a [brief] enjoyment of life in this world - whereas [happiness in] the life to come awaits the God-conscious with thy Sustainer.

But as for anyone who chooses to remain blind to the remembrance of the Most Gracious, to him We assign an [enduring] evil impulse, to become his other self:

whereupon, behold, these [evil impulses] bar all such from the path [of truth], making them think that they are guided aright!

But in the end, when he [who has thus sinned] appears before us [on Judgment Day], he will say [to his other self], “Would that between me and thee there had been the distance of east and west!” for, evil indeed [has proved] that other self!

On that Day it will not profit you in the least [to know] that, since you have sinned [together], you are now to share your suffering [as well].

CANST THOU, perchance, [O Muhammad,] make the deaf hear, or show the right way to the blind or to such as are obviously lost in error?

But whether We do [or do not] take thee away [ere thy message prevails] - verily, We shall inflict Our retribution on them;

and whether We show thee [or do not show thee in this world] the fulfillment of what We have promised them - verily, We have full power over them!

So hold fast to all that has been revealed to thee: for, behold, thou art on a straight way;

and, verily, this [revelation] shall indeed become [a source of] eminence for thee and thy people: but in time you all will be called to account [for what you have done with it].

Yet [above all else,] ask any of Our apostles whom We sent forth before thy time whether We have ever allowed that deities other than the Most Gracious be worshipped!

THUS, INDEED, have We sent Moses with Our messages unto Pharaoh and his great ones; and he said: “Behold, I am an apostle of the Sustainer of all the worlds!”

But as soon as he came before them with Our [miraculous] signs, lo! they derided them,

although each sign that We showed them was weigh­tier than the preceding one: and [each time] We took them to task through suffering, so that they might return [to Us].

And [every time] they exclaimed: “O thou sorcerer! Pray for us to thy Sustainer on the strength of the covenant [of prophethood] which He has made with thee: for, verily, we shall now follow the right way!”

But whenever We removed the suffering from them, lo! they would break their word.

And Pharaoh issued a call to his people, say­ing: “O my people! Does not the dominion over Egypt belong to me, since all these running waters flow at my feet? Can you not, then, see [that I am your lord supreme]?

Am I not better than this contemptible man who can hardly make his meaning clear?

“And then - why have no golden armlets been bestowed on him? or why have no angels come together with him?”

Thus he incited his people to levity, and they obeyed him: for, behold, they were people depraved!

But when they continued to challenge Us, We inflicted Our retribution on them, and drowned them all:

and so We made them a thing of the past, and an example to those who would come after them.

NOW WHENEVER [the nature of] the son of Mary is set forth as an example, [O Muhammad,] lo! thy people raise an outcry on this score,

and say, “Which is better - our deities or he?” [But] it is only in the spirit of dispute that they put this comparison before thee: yea, they are conten­tious folk!

[As for Jesus,] he was nothing but [a human being -] a servant [of Ours] whom We had graced [with prophethood], and whom We made an example for the children of Israel.

And had We so willed, [O you who worship angels,] We could indeed have made you into angels succeeding one another on earth!

AND, BEHOLD, this [divine writ] is indeed a means to know [that] the Last Hour [is bound to come]; hence, have no doubt whatever about it, but follow Me: this [alone] is a straight way.

And let not Satan bars you [from it] - for, verily, he is your open foe!

NOW WHEN Jesus came [to his people] with all evidence of the truth, he said: “I have now come unto you with wisdom, and to make clear Unto you some of that on which you are at variance: hence, be conscious of God, and pay heed unto me.

“Verily, God is my Sustainer as well as your Sustainer; so worship [none but] Him: this [alone] is a straight way!”

But factions from among those [who came after Jesus] began to hold divergent views: woe, then, unto those who are bent on evildoing - [woe] for the suffering [that will befall them] on a grie­vous Day!

ARE THEY [who are lost in sin] but waiting for the Last Hour - [waiting] that it come upon them of a sudden, without their being aware [of its approach]?

On that Day, [erstwhile] friends will be foes unto one another - [all] save the God-conscious.

[And God will say:] “O you servants of Mine! No fear need you have today, and neither shall you grieve –

[O you] who have attained to faith in Our messages and have surrendered your own selves unto Us!

Enter paradise, you and your spouses, with happiness blest!”

[And there] they will be waited upon with trays and goblets of gold; and there will be found all that the souls might desire, and [all that] the eyes might delight in. And therein shall you abide, [O you who believe:]

for such will be the paradise which you shall have inherited by virtue of your past deeds:

fruits [of those deeds] shall you have in abundance, [and] thereof shall you partake!

[But,] behold, they who are lost in sin shall abide in the suffering of hell:

it will not be lightened for them; and therein they will be lost in hopeless despair.

And it is not We who will be doing wrong unto them, but it is they who will have wronged them­selves.

And they will cry: “O thou [angel] who rulest [over hell]! Let thy Sustainer put an end to us!” - whereupon] he will reply: “Verily, you must live on [in this state]

INDEED, [O you sinners,] We have conveyed the truth unto you; but most of you abhor the truth.

Why - can they [who deny the truth ever] determine what [the truth] should be?

Or do they, perchance, think that We do not hear their hidden thoughts and their secret confabulations? Yea, indeed, [We do,] and Our heavenly forces are with them, recording [all].

Say [O Prophet]: “If the Most Gracious [truly] had a son, I would be the first to worship him!”

Utterly remote, in His glory, is the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth - the Sustainer, in almigh­tiness enthroned from all that they may attribute to Him by way of definition!

But leave them to indulge in idle talk and play [with words] until they face that [Judgment] Day of theirs which they have been promised:

for [then they will come to know that] it is He [alone] who is God in heaven and God on earth, and [that] He alone is truly wise, all-knowing.

And hallowed be He unto whom the dominion over the heavens and the earth and all that is between them belongs, and with whom the knowledge of the Last Hour rests, and unto whom you all shall be brought back!

And those [beings] whom some invoke beside God have it not in their power to intercede [on Judgment Day] for any but such as have [in their lifetime] borne witness to the truth, and have been aware [that God is one and unique].

Now if thou ask those [who worship any being other than God] as to who it is that has created them, they are sure to answer, “God.” How perverted, then, are their minds!

[But God has full knowledge of the true be­liever] and of his [despairing] cry: “O my Sustainer! Verily, these are people who will not believe!”

Yet bear thou with them, and say, “Peace [be upon you]!” - for in time they will come to know [the truth].

Ha. Mim.

CONSIDER this divine writ, clear in itself and clearly showing the truth!

Behold, from on high have We bestowed it on a blessed night: for, verily, We have always been warning [man].

On that [night] was made clear, in wisdom, the distinction between all things [good and evil]

at a behest from Ourselves: for, verily, We have always been sending [Our messages of guidance]

in pur­suance of thy Sustainer’s grace [unto man]. Verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-knowing,

the Sustainer of the heavens and the earth and all that is between them - if you could but grasp it with inner certainty!

There is no deity save Him: He grants life and deals death: He is your Sustainer as well as the Sustainer of your forebears of old.

Nay, but they [who lack inner certainty] are but Dying with their doubts.

WAIT, THEN, for the Day when the skies shall bring forth a pall of smoke which will make obvious [the approach of the Last Hour],

enveloping all mankind, [and causing the sinners to exclaim:] “Grievous is this suffering!

O our Sustainer, relieve us of suffering, for, verily, we [now] believe [in Thee]!”

[But] how shall this remembrance avail them [at the Last Hour], seeing that an apostle had pre­viously come unto them, clearly expounding the truth,

whereupon they turned their backs on him and said, “Taught [by others] is he, a madman”?

[Still,] behold, We shall postpone this suffer­ing for a little while, although you are bound to revert [to your evil ways: but]

on the Day when We shall seize [all sinners] with a most mighty onslaught, We shall, verily, inflict Our retribution [on you as well]!

AND, INDEED, [long] before their time did We try Pharaoh’s people [in the same way]: for there came unto them a noble apostle, [who said:]

“Give in unto me, O God’s bondmen! Verily, I am an apostle [sent] unto you, worthy of trust!

“And exalt not yourselves against God: for, verily, I come unto you with a manifest authority [from Him];

and, behold, it is with my Sustainer - and your Sustainer - that I seek refuge against all your endeavours to revile me.

And if you do not believe me, [at least] stand away from me!”

But then, [when they beset him with their enmity,] he called out to his Sustainer, “These are [indeed] people lost in sin!”

And [God said]: “Go thou forth with My servants by night, for you will surely be pursued;

and leave the sea becalmed [between thee and Pharaoh’s men]: for, verily, they are a host destined to be drowned!”

[And so they perished: and] how many gardens did they leave behind, and water-runnels,

and fields of grain, and noble dwellings,

and [all that] life of ease in which they used to delight!

Thus it was. And [then] We made another people heirs [to what they had left],

and neither sky nor earth shed tears over them, nor were they allowed a respite.

And, indeed, We delivered the children of Israel from the shameful suffering

[inflicted on them] by Pharaoh, seeing that he was truly outstand­ing among those who waste their own selves;

and indeed, We chose them knowingly above all other people,

and gave them such signs [of Our grace] as would clearly presage a test.

[Now,] behold, these [people] say indeed:

“That [which is ahead of us] is but our first [and only] death, and we shall not be raised to life again.

So then, bring forth our forefathers [as witnesses], if what you claim is true!”

Are they, then, better than the people of Tubba and those before them, whom We destroyed because they were truly lost in [the same] sin?

For [thus it is:] We have not created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in mere idle play:

none of this have We created without [an inner] truth: but most of them under­stand it not.

VERILY, the Day of Distinction [between the true and the false] is the term appointed for all of them:

the Day when no friend shall be of the least avail to his friend, and when none shall be succoured

save those upon whom God will have bestowed His grace and mercy: for, verily, He alone is almighty, a dispenser of grace.

Verily, [in the life to come] the tree of deadly fruit

will be the food of the sinful:

like molten lead will it boil in the belly,

like the boiling of burning despair.

[And the word will be spoken:] “Seize him, [O you forces of hell,] and drag him into the midst of the blazing fire:

then pour over his head the anguish of burning despair!

Taste it - thou who [on earth] hast considered thyself so mighty, so noble!

This is the very thing which you [deniers of the truth] were wont to call in question!”

[As against this -] verily, the God-conscious will find themselves in a state secure,

amid gardens and springs,

wearing [garments] of silk and brocade, facing one another [in love].

Thus shall it be. And We shall pair them with companions pure, most beautiful of eye.

In that [paradise] they shall [rightfully] claim all the fruits [of their past deeds], resting in security;

and neither shall they taste death there after having passed through their erstwhile death. Thus will He have preserved them from all suffer­ing through the blazing fire-

an act of thy Sustainer’s favour: and that, that will be the triumph supreme!

THUS, THEN, [O Prophet,] have We made this [divine writ] easy to understand, in thine own [human] tongue, so that men might take it to heart.

So wait thou [for what the future will bring]: behold, they, too, are waiting.

Ha. Mim.

THE BESTOWAL from on high of this divine writ issues from God, the Almighty, the Wise.

Behold, in the heavens as well as on earth there are indeed messages for all who [are willing to] believe.

And in your own nature, and in [that of] all the animals which He scatters [over the earth] there are messages for people who are endowed with inner certainty.

And in the succession of night and day, and in the means of subsistence which God sends down from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless, and in the change of the winds: [in all this] there are messages for people who use their reason.

These messages of God do We convey unto thee, setting forth the truth. In what other tiding, if not in God’s messages, will they, then, believe?

Woe unto every sinful self-deceiver

who hears God’s messages when they are conveyed to him, and yet, as though he had not heard them, persists in his haughty disdain! Hence, announce unto him grievous suffering –

for when he does become aware of any of Our messages, he makes them a target of his mockery! For all such there is shameful suffering in store.

Hell is ahead of them; and all that they may have gained [in this world] shall be of no avail whatever to them, and neither shall any of those things which, instead of God, they have come to regard as their protectors: for, awesome suffering awaits them.

[To pay heed to God’s signs and messages:] this is [the meaning of] guidance; on the other hand, for those who are bent on denying the truth of their Sustainer’s messages there is grievous suffering in store as an outcome of [their] vileness.

IT IS GOD who has made the sea subservient [to His laws, so that it be of use] to you so that ships might sail through it at His behest, and that you might seek to obtain [what you need] of His bounty, and that you might have cause to be grateful.

And He has made subservient to you, [as a gift] from Himself, all that is in the heavens and on earth: in this, behold, there are messages indeed for people who think!

Tell all who have attained to faith that they should forgive those who do not believe in the com­ing of the Days of God, [since it is] for Him [alone] to requite people for whatever they may have earned.

Whoever does what is just and right, does so for his own good; and whoever does evil, does so to his own hurt; and in the end unto your Sustainer you all will be brought back.

AND, INDEED, [already] unto the children of Israel did We vouchsafe revelation, and wisdom, and prophethood; and We provided for them sustenance out of the good things of life, and favoured them above all other people [of their time].

And We gave them clear indications of the purpose [of faith]; and it was only after all this knowledge had been vouchsafed to them that they began, out of mutual jealousy, to hold divergent views: [but,] verily, thy Sustainer will judge be­tween them on Resurrection Day regarding all whereon they were wont to differ.

And, finally, [O Muhammad,] We have set thee on a way by which the purpose [of faith] may be fulfilled: so follow thou this [way], and follow not the likes and dislikes of those who do not know [the truth].

Behold, they could never be of any avail to thee if thou wert to defy the will of God for, verily, such evildoers are but friends and protectors of one another, whereas God is the Protector of all who are conscious of Him.

This [revelation, then,] is a means of insight for mankind, and a guidance and grace unto people who are endowed with inner certainty.

Now as for those who indulge in sinful doings - do they think that We place them, both in their life and their death, on an equal footing with those who have attained to faith and do righteous deeds? Bad, indeed, is their judgment:

for, God has created the heavens and the earth in accordance with [an inner] truth, and [has therefore willed] that every human being shall be recompensed for what he has earned and none shall be wronged.

HAST THOU ever considered [the kind of man] who makes his own desires his deity, and whom God has [thereupon] let go astray, knowing [that his mind is closed to all guidance], and whose hearing and heart He has sealed, and upon whose sight He has placed a veil? Who, then, could guide him after God [has abandoned him]? Will you not, then, bethink your­selves?

And yet they say: “There is nothing beyond our life in this world. We die as we come to life, and nothing but time destroys us.” But of this they have no knowledge whatever: they do nothing but guess.

And [so,] whenever Our messages are conveyed to them in all their clarity, their only argument is this: “Bring forth our fore­fathers [as witnesses], if what you claim is true!”

Say: “It is God who gives you life, and then causes you to die; and in the end He will gather you together on Resurrection Day, [the coming of] which is beyond all doubt - but most human beings under­stand it not.”

For, God’s is the dominion over the heavens and the earth; and on the Day when the Last Hour dawns - on that Day will be lost all who [in their lifetime] tried to reduce to nothing [whatever they could not understand].

And [on that Day] thou wilt see all people kneeling down [in humility]: all people will be called upon to [face] their record: “Today you shall be requited for all that you ever did!

This Our record speaks of you in all truth: for, verily, We have caused to be recorded all that you ever did!”

Now as for those who have attained to faith and done righteous deeds, their Sustainer will admit them to His grace: that will be [their] manifest triumph!

But as for those who were bent on denying the truth, [they will be told:] “Were not My messages conveyed to you? And withal, you gloried in your arrogance, and so you became people lost in sin:

for when it was said, ‘Behold, God’s promise always comes true, and there can be no doubt about [the coming of] the Last Hour’ - you would answer, ‘We do not know what that Last Hour may be: we think it is no more than an empty guess, and [so] we are by no means convinced!’”

And [on that Day,] the evil of their doings will become obvious to them, and they will be over­whelmed by the very thing which they were wont to deride.

And [the word] will be spoken: “Today We shall be oblivious of you as you were oblivious of the coming of this your Day [of Judgment]; and so your goal is the fire, and you shall have none to succour you:

this, because you made God’s messages the target of your mockery, having allowed the life of this world to beguile you!” On that Day, therefore, they will not be brought out of the fire, nor will they be allowed to make amends.

AND THUS, all praise is due to God, Sustainer of the heavens and Sustainer of the earth: the Sustainer of all the worlds!

And His alone is all majesty in the heavens and on earth; and He alone is almighty, truly wise!